Tasha Cunningham, a Miami Herald contributing columnist and principal of The Cunningham Group, explores whether small businesses are making the most of their time spent marketing on the web. In today's column in Business Monday she looks at five ways small businesses undermine the success of what they do on the web -- for instance not having a mobile version of their website. She recommends checking out Google Mobile Optimizer. Another misstep: not geo-targeting your marketing campaign. To get tips on how to do and and more, read her column here.
But just for you Starting Gate readers, here are three more marketing mistakes small businesses often make -- and tips from Tasha::
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Failing to consistently monitor what is being said about your brand online. Being a small business owner means wearing many different hats and one of them should be brand monitor. You need to be online finding out what others are saying about you on review websites, social media and blogs. It’s a critical part of your online marketing efforts. It’s important to spend at least 30 minutes a day online finding and responding to things that are said about your business.
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Trying to keep up with online trends. Was your business one of the first to get Google + or Pinterest page? Great, but it does you no good unless you’re going to keep developing these pages and updating them on a regular basis. When a new trend or tool in social media is introduced to market, the first you need to do is claim your business name, not necessarily start a page, especially if you won’t have time to maintain it. At least if you have your business name reserved on a new social network, you always have the option of building a presence at a later time.
3. Mistaking online advertising for online marketing. Many small business owners think that online advertising is the same as online marketing. But in fact, they’re two different things. Advertising online consists of purchasing web ads and banners. Online marketing is about creating outreach strategies that connect your product or service with potential customers through social media, partnerships with other websites, link exchanges and other forms of promotion. Advertising can be a component of those strategies, but it won’t take the place of ongoing marketing efforts.
For more tips, check out her website Bizbytes101.com.
Readers, what online marketing know-how did you learn the hard way?